San Blas Islands, Panama
Today we experienced and explored the beautiful San Blas region from three different perspectives. As the sun was rising we donned binoculars, got into Zodiacs and cruised up the Chagroon River for some early morning birdwatching. Bird activity peaks at dawn and dusk, so our early start paid off. Herons, egrets, kingfishers, hawks, parrots and flycatchers waded, fished, patrolled territories, and caught flies. The river and surrounding mangroves provide food and shelter for these and many other birds. It was obvious the river had abundant life, but the brown, silty water hid it from view. The river was transporting large quantities of dirt from the rainforested hills to the Caribbean Sea.
Just a few miles away, we had a completely different experience. We visited the Kuna people on one of the larger San Blas islands. This native group hand stitches beautiful and unique colorful cloths called molas. Kuna had come to this village from neighboring islands to display their crafts for us. As soon as we left, the visiting artisans packed their molas into five-gallon buckets, and sailed back home in dugout canoes.
Next we explored a different San Blas island from below the ocean surface. While the river water we’d seen this morning was quite brown, the water here was blue and clear, perfect for corals and other reef life. A short distance from a white sand beach there was a shipwreck. In the forty years since the ship had gone down, corals, sponges and algae had grown on it, and many fishes found shelter in its crevices. Children and adults investigated this San Blas underwater world together.
Today we experienced and explored the beautiful San Blas region from three different perspectives. As the sun was rising we donned binoculars, got into Zodiacs and cruised up the Chagroon River for some early morning birdwatching. Bird activity peaks at dawn and dusk, so our early start paid off. Herons, egrets, kingfishers, hawks, parrots and flycatchers waded, fished, patrolled territories, and caught flies. The river and surrounding mangroves provide food and shelter for these and many other birds. It was obvious the river had abundant life, but the brown, silty water hid it from view. The river was transporting large quantities of dirt from the rainforested hills to the Caribbean Sea.
Just a few miles away, we had a completely different experience. We visited the Kuna people on one of the larger San Blas islands. This native group hand stitches beautiful and unique colorful cloths called molas. Kuna had come to this village from neighboring islands to display their crafts for us. As soon as we left, the visiting artisans packed their molas into five-gallon buckets, and sailed back home in dugout canoes.
Next we explored a different San Blas island from below the ocean surface. While the river water we’d seen this morning was quite brown, the water here was blue and clear, perfect for corals and other reef life. A short distance from a white sand beach there was a shipwreck. In the forty years since the ship had gone down, corals, sponges and algae had grown on it, and many fishes found shelter in its crevices. Children and adults investigated this San Blas underwater world together.
